“When you admit 40 patients in our hospitals, almost 30 out of them are living with diabetes. And this is more than two-thirds of admitted patients," Dr. Enikuomehin said.
Dr. Adenike Enikuomehin, a medical consultant, has said that at least one person dies every six seconds of diabetes globally.
Noting that the situation is worrisome, Enikuomehin added that 700 people out of 1,500 admitted to the hospital recently have diabetes.
She spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital, at an event to make the 2018 World Diabetes Day, themed 'Diabetes and the Family'.
She revealed that Ondo State is recording an increase in the cases of diabetes as a result of the number of patients in the hospital. She stated that 3,500 out of 8,500 patients admitted at the teaching hospital since January this year till date are diabetic.
“When you admit 40 patients in our hospitals, almost 30 out of them are living with diabetes," said Enikuomehin, a Consultant Endocrinologist at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital in Ondo.
"And this is more than two-thirds of admitted patients. This is worrisome and calls for attention and the support of all and sundry. The family has a major role to play in this aspect by giving the necessary support to all the people living with diabetes."
According to Enikuomehin, the main factors contributing to diabetes include high level of calorie intake, obesity rate and inducement of drugs.
Dr. Wahab Adegbenro, Ondo State Commissioner for Health, said diabetes has become a major global concern among the people. Adegbenro also observed that diabetes is so rampant that one in every five persons has the disease.
He, however, revealed that the state government has been doing much to create awareness to help nip the disease in the bud. He also advised people to shun self medication and avoid eating junk in order to have good health.
“Diabetes and hypertension are major diseases troubling the whole world and incidentally, two of them can go together in a person," he said. "We have a lot of specialists and facilities that can handle diabetes. However, people should stop eating junk and self medication."
Michael Ajayi, Secretary of the Diabetes Asociation of Nigeria in Ondo State, urged the people to always engage in regular checkup in order to know their status on time.
"It is better for people to know their diabetic status on time because it would help save money and time," he said.